Mickie James
Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979), better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent. James is best known for her time in WWE For Extreme (WWE:FE). James began her professional wrestling career in 1999 as a valet on the independent circuit, where she was known under the name Alexis Laree. She trained in several camps to improve her wrestling abilities before working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in June 2002, where she gained national attention. After only a few appearances, she joined a stable called The Gathering and was written into angles with the group. She is also the only woman to be involved in Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches. James appeared in WWE in October 2005 and was placed in a storyline with Trish Stratus, in which James' gimmick was that of Stratus' biggest fan turned obsessed stalker, an angle which lasted almost a year. She received a push, and she won her first WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, Mickie has recently cashed in the Money in The Bank contract and won the WWE Championship from John Bradshaw Layfield. Professional Wrestling Career Early Career (1999-2003) After a suggestion from a friend, James attended a professional wrestling school in the Washington, D.C. area. She made her professional debut on the independent circuit in 1999 as a valet for KYDA Pro Wrestling under the ring name Alexis Laree, a name created as the result of a combination of her stage name from when she was a dancer and her middle name. As Laree, she managed several male wrestlers, including managing Tommy Dreamer to win the KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship. In March, she wrestled in her first match, an intergender tag team match with Jake Damian against American Mike Brown and Candie. She trained to improve her wrestling abilities by attending training camps such as the Funking Conservatory, a workshop run by Dory Funk, Jr., and an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) dojo. She also started competing for Maryland Championship Wrestling, where she trained at camps run by Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton. Due to the low salary of the independent shows, James supplemented her income by working as a waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003) While working in Ring of Honor for a year, James also debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the company's second ever weekly pay-per-view under her Alexis Laree gimmick as a participant in a lingerie battle royal. She was not prominently featured until March 26, 2003, when she teamed with Amazing Red as part of his feud against Kid Kash—the X Division Champion—and Trinity. Weeks later, she became the first member of the Gathering, a stable led by Raven in his feud against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett. On April 16, Laree became the first (and thus far, only) woman to compete in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match after the Gathering challenged and defeated Jarrett. She continued to wrestle with the stable when they feuded with The Disciples of the New Church, taking part in an angle with Father James Mitchel burning her with a fireball and wrestling in another Clockwork Orange House of Fun match before leaving the company. Ohio Valley Wrestling (2003-2005) After two years of sending tapes and making phone calls, as well as wrestling a tryout match with Dawn Marie, James was signed to a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, who sent her to train at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), their farm territory, in August. Still using the Alexis Laree name, she began making television appearances for OVW on January 29, 2004 and competed in several tag team matches throughout the year. She also won a Halloween Costume Contest on October 30 and defeated Jillian Hall in a $1,000 match on November 12. On May 17, 2005, Laree was placed into a tournament for the OVW Television Championship. She defeated Mike Mondo in the first round, only to lose to Blaster Lashley in the next one. She began a feud with Beth Phoenix on July 20 after Phoenix interrupted Laree during an interview, setting up a match on July 29 which Laree lost. Their angle continued into September, with Shelly Martinez being added to the storyline to side with Phoenix against Laree. On October 12, she appeared in OVW under her real name and finished the year on the losing end of matches against Martinez and Jillian Hall. World Wrestling Entertainment (2005-2006) Trish Stratus' fan (2005–2006) James debuted in WWE on the October 10, 2005 episode of Raw, continuing to use her real name, under the gimmick of WWE Women's Champion, Trish Stratus' biggest fan. The angle had the two WWE Divas competing together in tag team matches, with James' character becoming increasingly obsessed with Stratus. The storyline included a Halloween Costume Contest in which James was dressed like Stratus and helped Stratus retain the Women's Championship in a Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal at Taboo Tuesday by eliminating herself and Victoria at the same time. She even began utilizing Stratus' signature finishing moves as her own during matches. James became the number one contender for the Women's Title on December 12 by defeating Victoria in a match to determine who would face Stratus at New Year's Revolution. Subsequently, the storyline between James and Stratus developed into a lesbian angle after James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe. In the championship match at the pay-per-view, James lost to Stratus but continued to be enamored of her the next night on Raw, and she confessed her love for Stratus at the Royal Rumble. On March 6, 2006 the storyline had Stratus confronting James, telling her that they needed time apart from each other. The duo teamed together at the March 18, 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. After the match, James agreed to honor Stratus' wishes and attempted to kiss her. After Stratus pushed her away, James' character made a complete heel turn by attacking Stratus in the ring and later vowing to destroy her. The two women wrestled each other at WrestleMania 22, where James won the match to claim her first reign as Women's Champion. During the match, despite the fact that James was playing the heel character, the fans frequently cheered James and booed Stratus whenever Stratus hit an offensive maneuver. Her win at WrestleMania made her the first Diva ever to win their first Women's Championship at their debut WrestleMania. The angle continued into Backlash during a rematch after Stratus legitimately dislocated her shoulder when James threw her out of the ring. Women's Champion (2006) James dropped the Women's Title on August 14 to Lita after Lita hit James with the title belt while Lita's on-screen boyfriend Edge distracted the referee, resulting in a face turn for James' on-screen persona. After the Women's Championship was vacated due to Vince McMahon reseting all the Championships, sending WWE into the For Extreme era. WWE For Extreme (WWEFE) (2006-2008) Monday Night RAW (2006) With the reset in the WWE, Mickie would be put on the Raw brand, where she would be put on the first card. Mickie would get a shot for the vacant Women's Championship in a 10 Diva, Bra and Panties match. However Mickie would fail to pick up the win, with Looney Lane walking away as champion. Mickie's next match would come months later on the June 12, 2006 edition of Raw. When she would compete in a Women's Championship tournament to determine a number one contendor for the Women's Championship. Mickie would face off against Nicole, picking up a victory for the first time sine the reset. Two weeks later Mickie would face off against Franki in the next round of the tournament. But Franki would upset Mickie, moving on in the tournament, and pushing Mickie out. This would be Mickie's last match on Raw, before switching brands. ECW (2006-2007) Mickie would end up switching over to the ECW brand, debuting on the October 10, 2006. edition of ECW that opened with an appearance by Viper, who took a moment to announce he had gotten a new manager. Mickie James came down to the ring, confirming that she would be taking Viper to the top of ECW. After changing her shirt to match Viper’s, she gave him a quick kiss and the two seemed ready to take on the world. Their good mood was ruined, however, by the appearance of Jino Hardy. Jino said not even Mickie James could get Viper anywhere near a title shot, and went on to challenge Viper to a steel cage match at a later date. Mickie accepted for Viper, making the match official. Later that night, Viper faced off against ECW original Raven, Raven would pick up the victory, beating Viper. After the match, an upset Viper called Mickie James to the ring. Viper seemed to blame Mickie for the loss and, to ensure it didn’t ruin his new alliance with TJ Cage, hit the young lady with the Snake Poison. Satisfied, Viper left Mickie in the ring as he headed to the back. Later that night, Mickie would turn her night around a bit, as she teamed with the newly allied team of Montel Vontavious Porter and Matt Hardy, to take on the team of Eric Young, Nunoman, and Terri Runnels. Mickie's team would pick up the victory, when Matt would deliver a Twist of Fate for the pin. The next week would start off with a bit of a comical angle, as Mr. McMahon's new Executive Assistant, Mickie James, entered Refugee Matt's locker room. As she was examining his titles, particularly the Hardcore title, Matt came out of the shower and pushed her out of the room. Later on that night, Mickie James was asked by interviewer Rebecca how it felt to be picked up and dumped by Viper, all in the same day. Mickie said it hurt, but the pain he caused was paled by the excitement at being named Mr. McMahon’s new Executive Assistant. She went on to promise a victory over Terri Runnels, before heading to the ring to back up her words. Mickie would uphold her promise, After hitting her Mickie-DT, Mickie would pick up a victory over Terri. Mickie would be kept off camera for a bit, but at Cyber Sunday, Mickie would be in the voting for a match against Jeff Hardy, but she would lose the votes to TJ Cage. Mickie's next appearance would be on the November 28, 2006. edition of ECW. Mickie would face off against Ashley Massaro, but the match wouldn't go Mickie's way, after getting pinned by the ''Starstruck''. Mickie would exact a measure of revenge the next week, when she teamed with The Sandman and Ryan Shadows, to take on the team of Pike Andrews, John Morrison and Ashley Massaro. Mickie's team would pick up the win, bringing Mickie a bit of satisfactory. At WrestleMania 23, TJ Cage faced off against Vince McMahon in a match for Mickie's managerial contract. TJ would pick up the win over Vince, winning Mickie's services. But the two wouldn't last long. Mickie would be switched over to ''SmackDown'' to be it's new General Manager. Smackdown (2007) Mickie first came to Smackdown as the General Manager. But she wouldn't have the job for too long before she lost it to Stephanie McMahon. But Mickie would stay on Smackdown, as she would begin managing her new boyfriend, Refugee Matt. Mickie would face off against Trish Stratus on the April 27, 2007. edition of SmackDown. The two Diva's would end up fighting the match to a double Knockout. Mickie would have another match on the June 1, 2007 edition of SmackDown, when she would face off against Cheerleader Melissa. The match would end in a Count out, with no winner being reached. On July 20, 2007. Mickie would face off against Simone Simons, with Simone picking up the victory over Mickie, when Simone hit her ''Cry of the Moon''. for the pin. Two weeks later, Mickie would once again have a match, when she would face off against new comer Whitney Collings. Whitney would pick up the victory over Mickie, when she would use her finishing maneuver, a ''Facebuster''. Mickie would then switch brands in a surprise apperance. Return to ECW (2007-2008) Mickie returned on the August 7, 2007 edition of ECW. When she took the 24/7 Hardcore Championship ruling, and defeated Batista, taking the title from him in a surprise attack. The next week on ECW, Mickie would face off against Andy Brookes, when he would try to take her title. But Mickie would put up the win, and in the process injuring Andy. Mickie would have a match that same week on SmackDown, when she would team with Refugee Matt and John Bradshaw Layfield, to take on the Asian Dictation (Shen, Tajiri and Yokozuna). Mickie, Matt, and JBL would pick up the victory, showing their dominance over the smaller group. Mickie would return to ECW that next week, to take on Santino Marella. Mickie would pick up another win, increasing her success lately. But Mickie's luck would change that Sunday, at SummerSlam, when Dacia Stoker would challange for the Hardcore Championship, and easilly defeating Mickie James. Mickie would then go on a hiatus from wrestling. Mickie would return to wrestling on the February 26, 2008 edition of ECW. When she would face off against Patrick Lawler in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. Mickie would end up losing the match, putting Patrick into the Money in the Bank match. But the next week, Mickie would receive another chance, when she faced off against Gorgoth. Defeating him to get herself into the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania. The next week, Mickie would continue her winning ways against Christopher Wilde, defeating him on her way to WrestleMania. The next week, Mickie would team up with CM Punk to take on the team of Jeff Jarrett, and Mark Henry. Mickie and Punk would pick up a victory over the other two, as they continued to build momentum. the next episode of ECW, would put Mickie James up against Patrick Lawler once more. And just like the last time it was Patrick who walked away with the victory. However that Sunday at WrestleMania XXIV, In the Money in the Bank Ladder match; Mickie faced off against Patrick Lawler, Evan Bourne, Jazz Powers, Reaper, Randy Orton and Drew Mcintyre. Mickie would pick up the win over the men, being the first ever Ms. Money in the Bank. The next night on ECW, Mickie would face off against Leon Lonewolf. Mickie would pick up a victory over Leon, after a well fought contest. Two weeks later, Mickie would take on Maddawg, picking up another victory. This would be Mickie's last match on ECW, before cashing in her briefcase. Return to Friday Nights (2008) With Mickie cashing in the briefcase the week of Judgment Day, on May 16, 2008. and winning the WWE Championship. She had her first defense just two days later in a triple threat match wth John Bradshaw Layfield, and Duke Allen. losing the championship to JBL. After losing the WWE Championship, Mickie would activate her rematch clause for Extreme Rules. Where Mickie would face off against John Bradshaw Layfield in a Last Man Standing match, Mickie would get the victory over JBL, giving her her second reign as WWE Champion. The next night on SmackDown, Mickie would find out that NXT Season:1 winner, Kelly Oliver would take his championship title match at Vengeance: Night of Champions. But Mickie would have to concentrate on her match that night, when she woud face off with Chris Starr, Mickie would pick up a victory over Chris, when she would nail her DDT on Chris. The next week Mickie would be placed in a match with Jerry Static, who tried to make a name for himself the previous week by hooking up with Mickie, and trying to get her to leave Rodeo Rick. But Mickie wouldn't go with him, and would ask for this match against Jerry. The match however would be changed to Mickie versus Fergus Doyle. Mickie would get the win, continueing her winning streak. The next week on the June 20th edition of SmackDown! Mickie would face off against X-Division Champion Amazing Red. After turning down joining High Flying Havoc, Mickie would defeat Amazing Red, one again proving her dominance. On June 27th, Mickie James would have a contract signing with Kelly Oliver, sanctioned by the General Manager of SmackDown! Zoey Bates. The contract signing would end with Oliver putting Mickie through the table, and putting the WWE Champion in the Ankle Lock. That Sunday at Night of Champions, Mickie would face off against Oliver, this would result in a loss. Giving Oliver his first WWE Championship. Mickie would leave the WWE for an extended amount of time after her loss. Return to Monday Night RAW (2008) Mickie would return from absence to RAW, on September 8th, 2011. When she would step into the ring against Trishelle Jordan, a young, and upcoming Diva. But that would mean little to Mickie, as she picked up the victory over Trishelle. The next week on RAW. Mickie faced off against Alana Price. And once more, it would be Mickie James picking up the win over another young Diva. On September 29th. Mickie would face off against Kayla Marie, in a match that would be ruled a no-contest. Mickie would leave the WWE on another extended leave. Tim Towsley's Manager (2010-Current) On the February 15th edition of RAW. Tim Towsley was booked against Evan Bourne in a singles match. Duringnthe match Mickie would come out while the ref was distracted wearing a ski mask. As Evan got to his feet, Mickie would use the Mick-Kick to take him down, everyone assumed the woman was Trish Stratus. Until that sunday at Lockdown: No Way Out, Mickie would remove her mask, and become tha manager to Tim. Other media In 2000, James appeared on an episode of The Jenny Jones Show titled "From Nerd To Knockout". Personal Life James owns three Morgan horses named Rhapsody, Bunny and Casanova. After she has finished her wrestling career, James plans to own a farm and be an equine trainer. James also owns a dog named Butch. Outside of wrestling, James has received her Associate of Arts degree in business administration and is studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree in operations management. She was previously engaged to wrestler Kenny Dykstra. She was previously in a relationship with Joey Mercury. James has two tattoos: an Asian symbol meaning 'love' on her ankle and a dragon that wraps around it. In wrestling *'Finishing moves' **'Long Kiss Goodnight'' (Reverse roundhouse kick, occasionally preceded by a kiss) **'Mickie–DT'' - 2005–2010 / Laree DDT (Independent circuit) (Standing tornado DDT or a jumping DDT) **'Mick Kick'' (Roundhouse kick) – 2005–2006; used during her storyline with Trish Stratus **'Stratusfaction'' (Springboard bulldog) – 2005–2006; used during her storyline with Trish Stratus *'Signature moves' **Arm trap neckbreaker **''Mick–A–Rana'' (Rope aided twisting Hurricanrana) **One-handed cartwheel into a standing monkey flip **Snapmare followed by a baseball slide to an opponents face **Thesz press followed by multiple punches (sometimes from an elevated position into a pin **Victory roll as a wheelbarrow counter **Single leg boston crab **Fisherman's suplex *'Wrestlers Managed' **A.J. Styles **Amazing Red **Chris Cage **CM Punk **Joey Matthews **Julio Dinero **Matt Perry **Raven **Steve Corino **Tim Towsley **TJ Cage **Tommy Dreamer **Trish Stratus **Victoria **Viper *'Nicknames' **"The Psycho" *'Theme Music' **"Day Dreamin' Fazes" by Kottonmouth Kings (ROH) **"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes (ROH) **'"Obsession"' – Jim Johnston **"Time to Rock & Roll (with altered intro)" – Lil' Kim (Used during her feud with Trish Stratus) Category:WWE champions Category:Hardcore champions Category:Women's champions Category:Female wrestlers Category:1979 births Category:WWE for Extreme Category:WWE Divas Category:Managers and valets Category:Money in the Bank winners Category:Good articles Championships and accomplishments *''' WWE For Extreme''' ** Hardcore Championship (1 time) ** WWE Championship (2 time) ** Women's Championship (1 time) ** Ms. Money in the Bank (2008) *'CyberSpace Wrestling Federation' **CSWF Women's Championship (1 time) *'Delaware Championship Wrestling' **DCW Women's Championship (1 time) *'Impact Championship Wrestling' **ICW Super Juniors Championship (1 time) *'Premier Wrestling Federation' **PWF Universal Women's Championship (1 time) *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' **PWI ranked her # 1''' of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2009 **PWI Woman of the Year (2009) *'''Southern Championship Wrestling **SCW Diva Championship (2 time) *'Ultimate Championship Wrestling' **UCW Women's Championship (1 time) *'Ultimate Wrestling Federation' **UWF Women's Championship (2 times) Category:WWE champions Category:Hardcore champions Category:Women's champions Category:Female wrestlers Category:1979 births Category:WWE for Extreme Category:WWE Divas Category:Managers and valets Category:Money in the Bank winners Category:Good articles